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How playing in the world juniors can be a stepping stone to NHL success

Can a path through the World Junior Championship make or break a prospect? No. But it can set a tone for that player's future.

Speak the name Jordan Eberle to any Canadian hockey fan living outside Edmonton. What comes to mind? Is it a flurry of red, white and gold? Eberle will forever be remembered for his brilliance at the World Junior Championship. He tied the 2009 semifinal against Russia with 5.4 seconds left, helping Canada crusade to a fifth straight title. He scored twice in the final 2:49 of the third period in the 2010 gold medal game to force overtime with the U.S. When TSN polled 25 experts in 2012, Eberle was voted the nation’s greatest world junior player of all-time.

All his international success as a youth, however, rewrote history a bit. Eberle wasn’t regarded the same way before those tournaments. The Oilers selected him 22nd overall in 2008, but he wasn’t considered a slam-dunk NHLer. His THN Draft Preview bio said his lack of stature at 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds held him back from being a high-rated prospect. That’s how he remembers the assessment, too. He’s convinced playing in the WJC changed his fate.

“A hundred percent,” he said. “People always ripped me off a little bit because I was a smaller player. A big thing for me at a young age was that I wasn’t fast enough. And you go play against the best kids at your age as an 18-year-old, there are kids that are 19, and to play well and have success you gain confidence that you’re a better player.”

Eberle calls the tournament “the biggest stepping stone for me getting to the NHL.” Is that the case for everyone who plays in the world juniors? Does it universally augment players’ chances of NHL success, or is Eberle the exception?

He’s closer to the norm among his countrymen, at least. In a 20-tournament stretch from 1991 to 2010, 219 of 304 Canadian world junior skaters went on to play at least 150 NHL games. That’s 72 percent. Twenty of 34 goalies, or 58.8 percent, played 50 or more NHL games. Among Americans, 122 of 284 skaters, 43 percent, played 150 and just nine of 33 goalies, 27.3 percent, played 50. Still, put the North American groups together and we get 58 percent of skaters and 43.3 percent of goaltenders hitting our established benchmarks.

In a stretch of 20 NHL drafts over that same span of years, only twice did more than half the players picked play even one NHL game, and those groups barely made the cut, with the high being 51.9 percent from 2009. The one-or-more-game club for North American WJC players over that span is 81.2 percent. So there’s clearly a strong correlation between participating in the tourney and fruitful NHL careers.

That isn’t shocking, of course. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation. If you’re good enough to make a WJC roster, you’re typically a well-regarded player already, often a high draft pick, and that’s why you end up with NHL success. It’s the player, not the tournament. Even Eberle, though small, was a first-rounder.

Talk to the executives, coaches and players who’ve participated in the event over the years, though, and they tell a different tale. They repeatedly use the word confidence when discussing the experience, how playing against such elite competition convinces players they are good enough to succeed in the NHL.

“You always believe in yourself as a player, but doing it, you go to a whole other level,” said Brent Sutter, who coached Canada in four world junior tournaments, winning gold three times. “What it does is raise your expectations for yourself.”

Or it can reveal flaws. Canada’s Josh Holden and Daniel Tkaczuk were NHL first-rounders in 1996 and 1997 and counted on to be star forwards at the 1998 WJC. They were part of Canada’s worst finish ever, an eighth-place flop, and they ended up playing a combined 79 NHL games.

“There are certain stages in a player’s career where they get to find out what that next level is and be a part of it,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director. “To me that’s what the world juniors is. Guys can come out of it with huge confidence and the belief, ‘You know what? I can play with anybody.’ And hopefully the guys that didn’t play as well as they wanted come out of it with a self-assessment that helps them as a player.”

It seems to depend on the player regarding what he takes out of the tournament and how he uses it. “Any time you put the Canadian Leaf on, it’s gold or nothing,” Eberle said. “That’s the pressure we as a country have and the expectation we have for our hockey ability. But that’s what you want as a hockey player. You don’t want to play in meaningless games and go through life like that.

“So my advice would be, for kids going to the world juniors, to enjoy the experience, first off, as you only get a chance to play in it once a lifetime. And second off, the confidence you’re going to gain by playing with the best players and competing against the best players is only going to help you.”

The stronger-willed types like Eberle view it as a universal positive and relish the pressure, but maybe they’re just mentally strong people who were always going to succeed, world juniors or no world juniors.

Not that a strong WJC performance and ensuing ego boost guarantees NHL success, either. The elevated post-tournament expectations bring a new kind of pressure.

Goaltender Justin Pogge was virtually unbeatable on Canada’s 2006 gold squad and appeared to be the Toronto Maple Leafs’ future franchise goalie, He inspired enough confidence for GM John Ferguson Jr. to surrender a kid named Tuukka Rask in the 2006 Andrew Raycroft trade. Jack Campbell, the dazzling American stopper who won gold in 2010, appeared to be a future star as well. Today Pogge, 29, has seven NHL games to his name and plays for Farjestad in the Swedish League. Campbell was drafted five years ago and has played just one NHL game. Though, at 23, he’s not completely out of rope with the Dallas Stars. Is it possible the tournament can have the reverse effect on some players and damage them because of the increased hype?

“No, because if he wasn’t on that team, where do you think he would have been?” said Sutter of Pogge, who played for him on the 2006 Canadian squad. “It’s nothing but positive when you can play on that team. Being able to have success just takes it that much further. But there’s not one negative thing about playing on a world junior team.”

That seems to be the consensus among anyone close to the tournament. We can speculate on who was adversely affected by too much or too little success at the WJC, and some numbers suggest the competition has claimed a few victims. But those lucky enough to don their national colors see it as nothing but a gift.

“That was probably the best experience I’ve had in my entire life,” said Arizona Coyotes left winger Max Domi. “I wouldn’t trade that for anything, and it’s something I’ll never forget.”

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At least two teams are reportedly interested in acquiring the Sedins for their full cap hit and Canucks veterans could draw interest at the trade deadline. The Kings are looking to clear cap space by moving out Teddy Purcell.

The ongoing struggles of the Vancouver Canucks this season generated some speculation over possible roster moves.

By late-November, The Province's Jason Botchford suggested the Canucks could get an early start on deciding which players to move by the March 1 trade deadline. He felt veterans such as Ryan Miller, Alex Edler, Alexandre Burrows and perhaps even Daniel and Henrik Sedin could be on the move.

Botchford said he knows of two teams that would be willing to acquire the Sedins for their full combined salary-cap hit of $14 million. If the Canucks were to pick up part of that cap hit (which runs through 2017-18), he thinks more clubs would be interested.

The sticking point, of course, is the Sedins' willingness to be traded. So far, they've given no indication that they want out of Vancouver. As Botchford points out, such a move would likely have to take place in the off-season.

Even if the Canucks put the Sedins on the block, they're unlikely to fetch a significant return. While they're still putting up solid numbers (17 points in 26 games), the 36-year-old twins are well past their prime. Teams aren't going to give up a lot for a couple of fading stars. Picks and prospects, sure, but nothing that would immediately reverse the Canucks' fortunes.

As for Miller, he and Canucks management could be willing to work out a contract extension. Botchford's collegue Ben Kuzma doubts the Canucks place the 36-year-old goalie on the block by the trade deadline.

Kuzma notes Miller's stats aren't great this season. However, he feels he'll still be a good fit with Jacob Markstrom, buying some time until promising goalie prospect Thatcher Demko is ready to move up. He wonders if Miller might be agreeable to a two- or three-year deal worth between $4-$4.5 million per season. That's a significant pay cut from Miller's current $6-million annual salary.

Considering Miller's no longer an elite goaltender, he probably won't get much better than that on the open market. He could test next summer's free-agent market, but will likely find few decent offers. He could prefer to avoid uncertainty over his future by staying in Vancouver for a reasonable contract.

KINGS TRYING TO FREE SPACE WITH PURCELL MOVE

Los Angeles Kings left wing Teddy Purcell cleared waivers over the weekend. Signed as a free agent last summer to a one-year, $1.6-million contract, the 31-year-old managed only two points in 12 games this season. Illness and a lower-body injury sidelined him in October, and he was a healthy scratch in the Kings' last four games.

With 21 of 30 NHL teams carrying $2 million or less in cap space, moving Purcell's cap hit is difficult right now. The Kings obviously want to shed his salary without taking any back in a deal. They could be waiting until later in the season to find the right deal.

Rumor Roundup appears regularly only on thehockeynews.com. Lyle Richardson has been an NHL commentator since 1998 on his website, spectorshockey.net, and is a contributing writer for Eishockey News and The Guardian (P.E.I.).For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

Blackhawks emergency backup Eric Semborski gets his own rookie card

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Blackhawks emergency backup Eric Semborski gets his own rookie card

Eric Semborski landed himself the opportunity of a lifetime when he strapped on the pads as an emergency backup for the Blackhawks, and now Topps has commemorated the moment with a Semborski trading card.

Eric Semborski’s dream came true when he stepped on the ice as an NHL goaltender, albeit an emergency backup, on Dec. 3, and now he’s got an incredible piece of memorabilia to show for it.

Just days after the 23-year-old made his rookie debut, trading card company Topps has unveiled the official Eric Semborski rookie card. That’s right: the 23-year-old has his very own trading card. The card is part of Topps’ NOW series, which features milestone or memorable moments and are made available shortly after the achievement.

Semborski’s stint as the Blackhawks emergency goaltender came due to regular starting netminder Corey Crawford was sent to hospital to undergo an appendectomy. The Blackhawks were scrambling to find a replacement for Crawford, and a backup for Scott Darling, when they started asking around to find an emergency amateur netminder to fill in.

Semborski, a former goaltender at Temple University, was working with children at the Flyers’ practice facility when he was called to sign on for emergency duty. Hilariously, Semborski wore a Blackhawks No. 50 jersey — which most will recognize as Crawford’s number — when he took the ice for warmup. Of the chance to stop NHL shots in warmup, Semborski said it was the best moment of his life.

Possibly the only thing that could have made the moment better was if Semborski actually got into the game and, as it turns out, that was very nearly the case. Post-game, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said that had the Flyers scored on the empty net to stretch their lead in the Saturday afternoon contest, he would have thrown Semborski into the net for the final minute of the outing.

As for the card, there’s no chance it will be worth anything near what a Connor McDavid rookie card will be worth in a decade, but it’s certainly a nice piece of merchandise for the one-day NHL netminder.

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The Golden Knights have hit another hurdle with their name, this time with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A trademark request has been rejected, but it doesn’t sound like the team expects a name change.

The Vegas Golden Knights are really having a tough time catching a break in the naming department.

On Wednesday, a trademark request by the Golden Knights was rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in large part because the name and logo were deemed too similar to that of the NCAA’s College of St. Rose Golden Knights.

Yes, that’s right, yet another roadblock between the NHL’s newest franchise and the name Golden Knights.

The first hurdle for the team, and the first real hubbub about the name, came shortly after the naming ceremony in late November. The team had only had the Golden Knights moniker in place for a week when it was reported by The Fayetteville Observer’s Steve DeVane that the U.S. Army was set to review Vegas’ use of the name because it is shared by the Army’s highly decorated parachute team.

And all that came after Vegas owner Bill Foley purposely strayed from his first choice for the team name, Black Knights, in order to avoid any conflict with the U.S. Army’s NCAA athletics programs and after the singular name, Knights, was reportedly avoided in order to forego any conflict with the OHL’s London Knights.

Suffice to say, the naming process has been a headache thus far. However, before those who despise the name and/or logo go celebrating in the streets, it should be noted that the latest naming hurdle likely means nothing in the long run.

“Office actions like this are not at all unusual, and we will proceed with the help of outside counsel in preparing a response to this one,” the statement reads.

In their statement, Vegas also pointed to the shared names of UCLA and Boston, both named the Bruins, Miami and Carolina, both named the Hurricanes, and even pointed out that Vegas and Clarkson share the Golden Knights name. None of this is to mention the MLB’s Texas Rangers and the NHL’s New York Rangers share a name.

“We believe, at the end of the day, all parties will embrace the fact that we are the Vegas Golden Knights and this absolutely will work out,” Craven told Gotz. “I hope people don’t overreact to this at all. We believe everyone will be satisfied. We are only going to enhance the name Golden Knights for everyone. That’s our goal.”

UPDATE: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has released the following statement:

“We are currently reviewing the Trademark Office's letter and will prepare a detailed response demonstrating why we continue strongly to believe the Vegas Golden Knights mark should be registered in co-existence with the college registration, just as a number of other nicknames currently co-exist in professional and college sports (particularly where there is no overlap as to the sport for which the nickname is being used). That response is not due until June 7, 2017.

“We consider this a routine matter and it is not our intention to reconsider the name or logo of this franchise. We fully intend to proceed as originally planned, relying on our common law trademark rights as well as our state trademark registrations while we work through the process of addressing the question raised in the federal applications.”

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The Rangers started the season as one of the league’s hottest teams, but have come back down to earth lately. Getting back on track will be a bit harder without the services of Rick Nash for the next week.

Another year, another ailment for Rick Nash, but luckily for the New York Rangers winger this one won’t be keeping him out of the lineup long-term.

Nash, 32, was forced to the leave the Rangers’ loss to the New York Islanders early on Tuesday, suffering a lower-body ailment that put him out of the game, and an MRI on Wednesday revealed that Nash will be sidelined for somewhere in the neighborhood of one week due to a groin injury.

Considering Nash was forced out of action due to the injury, that he’ll miss only one week is about as good as the news could be. Most Rangers fans would have thought the worst when Nash was forced to leave the game, especially given he missed nearly a quarter of the 2015-16 campaign due to a knee injury.

Being out for a week would force Nash, currently third on the Rangers in scoring behind J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes with 18 points, to miss anywhere from four to six games, depending when he’s feeling fit to return to action. Only one of those games are divisional games, which is a slight bonus, but the set of games against the Chicago Blackhawks is certainly a pair the Rangers could use Nash for, and getting by the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets without Nash in the lineup is going to require someone else stepping up.

Nash is in the midst of quite the bounce back season, too. While it may be a far cry from his remarkable 2014-15 campaign in which he scored a career-best 42 goals to go along with 69 points, Nash has already potted 11 goals this season and, prior to his injury, was on pace for another 30-goal campaign.

Even if Nash reaches the 20-goal mark this season, though, it would be a step up from his past campaign. He managed only 15 goals and 36 points in 2015-16, making for the lowest full-season goal total of his career.

Nash isn’t the only injury concern for the Rangers right now, however. New York will also be without Matt Puempel for the foreseeable future due to a concussion and Mika Zibanejad’s broken fibula will likely keep him out of action for at least another month, if not more.

The Rangers, who started the season as one of the league’s hottest teams, are just 4-5-1 in their past 10 games.